1. Cross Reference to Related Applications
Not applicable.
2. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to hand tools for working in confined spaces, and more particularly to a telescopically extendable angle drill adapted for use in removing and installing pocket door track hardware.
3. Discussion of Related Art
Pocket doors are notorious for jumping off their roller tracks. Use of the door after it is off the track can result in damage to the track and to the rollers mounted on the door. When this happens, it is typically necessary to remove the door from its pocket by tearing out a substantial portion of the wall defining the door pocket. Because of the inconvenience and expense of such a repair, it would be desirable to have a power tool capable of removing the fastening screws in damaged pocket door hardware and installing fastening screws for replacement hardware without the need to do any structural tear out. More specifically, it would be desirable to provide an angled power drill having a readily adjustable, extendable handle so that pocket door screws both close to and far from the door opening can easily be removed with a minimum of adjustment.
There have been a number of hand tools proposed for angled work and for work in confined spaces generally. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,089 to Scott teaches a driver for socket wrenches or similar tools constructed to effect rotation of the wrench by rotary wrist action. Manual rotation of a grip is transmitted through shafts and gears to the tool lug and a ratchet mechanism is provided to permit the selective transmission of torque to the tool in either direction of grip rotation. This tool, while suitable for applying rotary power at right angles to the workpiece or fastening devices, is not suitable for work in confined spaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,970,918 to Brewer discloses an apparatus and method for manipulating a fastening device such as a bolt or screw is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a handle which has a rotatable shaft inserted through the handle. A housing pivots about one end of the handle. A drive head is located in the housing and has an end which can be adopted to a socket or other device to fit the fastening device. The drive head pivots with the housing as the housing rotates about the handle. The longitudinal axis of the drive head can be aligned with the drive shaft, or the housing and drive head can be pivoted about the handle until the longitudinal axis of the drive head is perpendicular to the drive shaft, and a drive gear mechanically connects the drive shaft to the drive head. The drive shaft can be rotated to manipulate a fastening device at angles of 0 degrees, 90 degrees, and 270 degrees from the drive shaft. This tool provides considerable flexibility in positioning the tool handle relative to the tool head, but it is ill-suited for work in deeply confined spaces requiring an extended handle portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,780 to Van Gennep discloses a tool driver with a detachable handle for loosening and tightening fasteners or drilling holes in hard-to-reach locations. The tool driver contains a drive shaft and a mechanical means for converting force applied to the drive shaft to motion of a transverse tool attachment. A second tool attachment is located at one end of the drive shaft permitting a tool to be directly driven. A detachable handle is provided for stabilizing and controlling the tool driver. Additionally, the detachable handle is a container for a power source used to power a luminous element which illuminates the workpiece. Again, while this device provides a convenient means to connect a detachable handle at 90 degrees relative to a drill or screwdriver, it does not include any means to extend the handle for reaching into distant spaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,136 to Frenkel teaches a power driven socket wrench for rotating nuts and bolts in confined spaces. The apparatus includes a head formed of a rotatable socket for engaging nuts and bolts, a bearing for the rotatable socket and a housing around the socket and bearing, and a drive adapter between the head and a power drive for driving the socket. The adapter has an outer elongate housing containing an elongate drive shaft mounted axially therein on suitable bearings and is detachable from the head and the power drive for replacement by an adapter of a different length to enable reaching a nut or bolt at a more remote distance. The adapter housing and shaft are positioned for rotation of the shaft on an axis extending perpendicular to the rotational axis of the socket on the head. The adapter has a detachable locking means such as a snap lock at its inner end for detachably locking the adapter onto the housing of the head. The outer end of the adapter drive shaft has a detachable locking member for detachably engaging the driver member of a power drive or motor. The adapter is neither extendable in itself, nor may it be extended by the connection of second adapter to the first adapter.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,542 to Birge, Jr., et al, teaches a hand tool system having a longitudinally extendable operating component (handle) and a longitudinally extendable support component for reaching a remote and/or confined location. The operating component includes a worm drive having a proximal end for attachment to a rotational drive device such as a drill motor, and a distal end for attachment to a rotational driver having a first end which can accept a connector engagement device such as a screwdriver head or other type bit and a second end from which extends a pivotable arm. The support component has a pivotable distal end with a securement member releasably securable to a structure, a hand engageable proximal end, and an exterior surface slidingly engageable with the pivotal arm extending from the driver. In use, an operator manipulates the support component with one hand while powering the drill motor with the other hand such that the support component engages the pivotable arm of the driver to thereby leverage and stabilize the driver during rotational movement of the screwdriver or other bit head and consequent placement of a screw member.
While the device disclosed in the '542 patent has many of the desired features for work in pocket door openings, its extendable operating component is not truly telescopic and has a single, fixed operating position when extended. To date there is as yet no known device that provides truly telescopic extension the drive shaft of an angle drill suitable for use in removing and installing pocket door hardware. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an angle drill having a fully telescopic drive shaft to enable power drilling of holes and placement and removal of fastening devices in remote, confined spaces, most particularly a pocket door opening.